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- Author or Editor: Donald C. Ramsdell x
Most highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) in Michigan are treated annually with fungicides and insecticides with several types of sprayers. The goal of this study was to determine how sprayer type, pruning severity, and canopy development interact to affect spray deposition patterns. Deposition was measured as the percentage of the surface area of card targets that was covered following applications of black dye. Light measurements indicated that the canopy of blueberry bushes, regardless of pruning treatment, closed by the middle of June, and light levels within the canopy changed little from then until fruit harvest in August. A standard airblast sprayer that pushed spray up and through bushes provided acceptable deposition in all parts of the canopy early in the season, but later in the season, coverage was poor in the top and sides furthest from the sprayer. An above-row sprayer with fan-driven micronozzles also provided acceptable coverage throughout the bushes early in the season, but once the canopy had closed, coverage was poor in the bottom of the bush. Both sprayers were operated in bushes receiving light, moderate, and heavy pruning. The more severe pruning regimes increased the amount of spray deposited from the above-row sprayer, but not from the airblast sprayer.
Highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) in Michigan are treated annually with fungicides to control fruit rots caused by Colletotrichum acutatum J.H. Simmonds, Alternaria sp., and Botrytis cinerea Pers.:Fr. Control with recommended fungicide programs is often inadequate. The goal of this study was to compare the effects of two spray treatments and three levels of pruning severity on fruit rot levels in mature `Jersey' bushes. Two spray treatments were tested for 3 years: 1) recommended fungicide rates applied with a conventional airblast sprayer; 2) 67% of recommended fungicide rates applied with a multifan/nozzle, above-row sprayer. Pruning treatments included light and heavy pruning (compared for 1 year), and light, moderate, and heavy pruning (compared for 3 years). Fruit rot incidence was determined after incubating individual fruit at 100% relative humidity and 21 °C for 7 to 11 days, and after exposing 0.24-L plastic clamshell containers of fruit to simulated commercial handling. The above-row sprayer provided fruit rot control at least equivalent to the airblast sprayer even though less chemical was applied. Anthracnose rot in berries from the top of the bush canopy were reduced by pruning, but those in the bottom of the bush, and levels of other diseases were not consistently affected. Pruning also reduced yields, although the study was too short in duration to determine the long-term impact on production.